NOTODONTID^. 129 



compact ; between leaves which were closely united round it. 

 (W. Buckler.) In this condition through the winter. 



A very rare species in this country, and little is known of 

 its habits. The first specimen known to have occurred in 

 these islands was taken in the middle of June 1859, at 

 Killarney, in the south-west of Ireland, by Mr. P. Bouchard, 

 a professional collector. It was understood to have been 

 beaten out of a birch, but he was naturally reticent as to its 

 habits. Several more were taken by him in the same place 

 — Mr. S. Stevens believes seven or eight — and the wings of 

 one were found at the foot of a tree. Doubt was subsequently 

 raised as to the genuineness of the captures, but Mr. S. J. 

 Capper tells me that when he visited Killarney the residents 

 showed him the very tree on which one of what they called 

 "Micolora" was taken ; and I think that there is no reason 

 to suspect fraud in this case. In June 1861, Mr. John 

 Smith, an artisan from Manchester, had the good fortune to 

 secure a specimen in an extensive wood, known as the Burnt 

 Wood, in North Staffordshire. This was exhibited at Man- 

 chester, and led to an expedition by Mr. Joseph Chappell, a 

 well-known Manchester collector, to the same place in June 

 1865, when he and a friend had the good fortune to obtain 

 six examples, by beating birch trees and bushes. One of 

 these laid a number of eggs, the larvas from which were care- 

 fully tended, but they proved extremely delicate and most of 

 them died, seven only producing the perfect insects. Opera- 

 tions in that wood appear to have been stopped by the game- 

 keepers, and I know of no more recent captures there. In 

 1866 • another specimen seems to have been secured at 

 Killarney, but here the favoured locality has been destroyed 

 by the cutting down of the birch trees, and there are no 

 further records from this spot. Mr. W, F. de Vismes Kane, 

 however, states that two specimens have been obtained in the 

 County of Kerry by Miss Vernon, and he exhibited one of these 

 in London in 1892. Major J. N. Still possesses a single 



VOL. III. I 



